Trump’s Immigration Stance Again Fuels Conflict Among Students

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

DES MOINES, Iowa -- As the presidential race continues some controversial views are weaving their way into Iowa classrooms.

A political discussion between middle school students is blurring the line between free speech and offensive.

Donald Trump is a lightning rod for controversy, but is his immigration stance becoming misconstrued by students not yet old enough to vote?

“We have drug dealers coming across we have rapists, we have killers, we have murderers,” Trump has said.

On Wednesday, tempers flared at Des Moines’ Amos Hiatt Middle School when one student, whose parents are Trump supporters, told a few Hispanic students that their families will be deported when Trump wins the election. The students then fired back with inflammatory remarks and called the student a racist.

“The focus on deportation and the talk about immigration and building a wall, in a community as diverse as Des Moines, it’s an issue that people are going to react to,” said Phil Roeder, communications director of Des Moines Public Schools.

There are over 100 languages and dialects spoken within the Des Moines Public Schools District. Roeder says he encourages political expression from students, but he said there is a fine line between free speech and being offensive.

“Our right to feel strongly about a candidate ends when the rights of somebody else feeling safe begins,” Roeder said.